Jewelry at New York Fashion Week: A Word to the Wise

While there may not be a great deal of jewelry at New York Fashion Week, the clothes will leave you speechless. In a classic “Three’s-a-Trend” moment we spotted a trio of top Ready-to-Wear brands using graphic words and declarative statements as major motifs in their Fall 2016 collections. Look for jewelry designers to follow suit in the coming months with necklaces, bracelets and brooches that spell out exactly what’s on their minds.

“Sloganeering is rampant across all categories of fashion at the moment,” said Vogue’s Nicole Phelps. “Who knows, maybe the election year has something to do with it? One step more sophisticated than straight-up logos, they serve the same essential purpose of brand identifying in our Instagram-obsessed world,” she observed.

Lanvin Script Necklace. Photo Courtesy of HarpersBazaar.com

Alexander Wang Mixes Stripes, Words andLeather Chokers for Fall 2016.

Alexander Wang

Perhaps the most vocal proponent of this sloganista trend is Alexander Wang, who splayed the words “girls,” “strict” and “tender” across the chests of his sweaters and around thighs of his tights. Wang also featured leather chokers with dangling earrings — hardly newsworthy statement pieces but effective nonetheless.

Sonia Rykiel

Presenting her Sonia by Sonia Rykiel collection near Valentine’s Day, the designer mixed heart-shaped brooches, a pin spelling the word “love,” and a single rhinestone earring with tweed jackets for fall. Talk about wearing your heart on your sleeve!

Red Valentino

Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli’s Red Valentino collection for Valentino turned to social media-friendly messages sewn on coats and dresses. Their whimsical words “heart,” “happiness” and “joy” almost guarantee word-of-mouth success for the savvy designers (as did their participation in the film Zoolander 2!).